History is replete with illustrations of grandeur and splendour. Man, through this journey, has made attempts, and succeeded, in creating marvels, which to this day exists and spread wonderment amongst its many patrons. Here we will discuss a few of them, which continue to befuddle us.
1. Harappa and Mohenjodaro
Situated in the Indus Valley, these two sites have established the relevance of Asian civilisation amongst the other significant civilisations during that period, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Crete. Harappa and Mohenjodaro, were among the earliest example of an urban settlement, built to sustain a large population with all the amenities of a great city. There sewage and sanitation works, wide roads and public facilities have elicited wonder among modern city planners.
2. The Pyramid of Khafre or Chepren
Dated to 2570 BC, this pyramid is the second tallest and the second largest amongt the ancient pyramids of Giza. It belonged to Khafre from the fourth dynasty. It is 706 ft in base width and rises to a height of 448 ft. Due to the nature of the slope of the plateau; the northwest corner was cut 10m out of rock subsoil and the southeast was built up. The Pyramid of Khafre is made of limestone, each weighing up to 2 tons each.
3. Knossos
Situated in the island of Crete, the Knossos is supposedly the oldest city in Europe. Dated back to 2000BC, Knossos was excavated from a large mound called the Kephala Hill, after being discovered by Minos Kalokairinos in the year 1878. Excavation started in 1900 under the supervision of Sir.
According to Greek mythology, Knossos was built by King Minos to protect his son, the Centaur. It is said that he had Daedalus construct labyrinths where he could hide his rather weird son, who had a human body and a bulls head.
4. Megalithic Structures
These stone and rock ensemble, representing temples date back to 3500 BC, making it one of the oldest mad made structures. Naturally preserved, the temple was restored by European and native Maltese archaeologists.
The human civilization has a long past. While it is only in the last few centuries that we have discovered and invented a new way of life, people thousands of years ago were much more advanced than what we thing they are. And these ancient civilizations are a testimony to that.